54.43 per cent exercise their franchise till 5.00pm in Maharashtra polls
Mumbai: Altogether 54.53 per cent voters Monday exercised their franchise till 5.00pm in Maharashtra after polling for the 288 Assembly seats began at 7.00am, poll officials said. The Congress-NCP combine is seeking to dislodge the BJP-Shiv Sena alliance government in the state in the polls.
Prominent personalities who voted include RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat, CM Devendra Fadnavis, NCP chief Sharad Pawar, Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray, cricket icon Sachin Tendulkar and MNS chief Raj Thackeray and superstar Shah Rukh Khan.
The state has total of 8,98,39,600 voters, including 1,06,76,013 in the age group of 18 to 25 years. Nearly 6.5 lakh polling personnel have been deployed at 96,661 polling booths across the state.
Ink applied on toe of person without arms
Mumbai: In a rare instance Monday, polling officials in Deolali Assembly constituency in Maharashtra’s Nashik district applied the indelible ink to one of the toes of farmer Bajirao Mojad who had lost his arms in an accident a few years ago. Mojad has been exercising his franchise with an assistant since the mishap.
Teacher dies on poll duty in Maharashtra’s Gadchiroli district
Gadchiroli: A 45-year-old teacher posted on election duty in this district of Maharashtra died in hospital after fainting while walking towards the voting booth Monday morning, an official said. The deceased has been identified as Bapu Pandu Gavade. He was on his way to a polling booth when he fainted in the morning near Pursalgondi village of this district’s Etapalli area, the official stated.
“Bapu Pandu Gavade used to get epileptic fits. He suffered head injuries after he fainted. He was taken to Etapalli hospital first and then to a bigger facility at Chandrapur. Gavade, however, died during treatment,” the official informed.
59 VVPATs, 19 EVMs replaced in Nagpur district
Nagpur: Fifty nine Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) units and 19 Electronic Voting Machines (EVM) were replaced in Nagpur district due to glitches Monday during the Maharashtra Assembly elections. The glitches occurred in 12 Assembly constituencies. However, in spite of the problem, voting continued smoothly in all the segments.
Turnout low till 3.00pm in Maharashtra polls
Mumbai: Altogether 43.78 per cent voters exercised their franchise till 3.00pm Monday in Maharashtra after polling for the 288 Assembly seats began at 7.00am, poll officials said. Akkalkuwa constituency in north Maharashtra recorded 55.64 per cent voting till 3.00 pm, while Magathane in north Mumbai recorded 40.17 per cent polling during the same period. Voting will end at 6.00pm.
Prominent personalities who voted include RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat, CM Devendra Fadnavis, NCP chief Sharad Pawar, Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray, cricket icon Sachin Tendulkar and MNS chief Raj Thackeray.
A nonagenarian was the cynosure of all eyes as he accompanied Union Minister Smriti Irani outside a polling booth in Mumbai. “Today’s hero is Khanna sahab, who has served in the Indian Army. He is 93 and came out to vote. It is an inspiration,” Irani said.
Maharashtra recorded 63.38 per cent turnout in 2014 Assembly elections.
Woman injured in Haryana poll clash
Chandigarh: A woman was injured Monday as clash took place between two groups outside a polling booth in Malaaka village in Nuh district in the Mewat region of the state, a senior police official said. He stated that some argument broke out between a present and a former Sarpanch after which some of their supporters accompanying them clashed. Stones were also hurled during which one woman was injured, SP Sangeeta Kalia said.
Minor scuffles reported at Beed, Jalna during polls in Maharashtra
Mumbai: As voting for the Assembly polls progressed Monday across Maharashtra, reports of scuffles came in from Beed and Jalna districts, officials said late afternoon.
In Beed’s Balepeer area, over 380 kilometres from here, supporters of Shiv Sena candidate Jaydatt Kshirsagar and NCP candidate Sandeep Kshirsagar had an altercation over allegations of vehicles being used to ferry voters to polling booths, an official said. The area was tense for a while before police, as well as the two candidates, defused the situation, another official informed.
In Jalna’s Jamkhed area, over 400 kilometres from here, two groups owing allegiance to local leaders clashed before being separated by police, an official said.
EVM glitches mar voting in some Maharashtra booths
Mumbai: Faulty EVMs delayed polling at some booths in Maharashtra’s Ratnagiri and Bhandara districts Monday, an official said. Polling was also halted for sometime at a booth in the Worli area here due to a technical error, he said. The Maharashtra Congress unit has sent 187 complaints to the Election Commission (EC) regarding the malfunctioning of EVMs.
In Ratnagiri’s Dhamangaon village, polling was stopped at a booth from 8.30am to 10.00am due to a technical fault in the electronic voting machine (EVM), the official stated. The EVM glitch also halted the polling process at a booth in Kalamban Gavhanwadi village in Ratnagiri since 9.42am. Voting only resumed after 12 noon. In Bhandara district, polling was disrupted from 9.15am to 9.35am due to a similar issue, the official stated.
Bhupinder Singh Hooda confident about Congress victory
Rohtak: Former Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda exuded confidence Monday that Congress will make a comeback in the Assembly polls as he cast his vote along with his family members here. Before exercising his vote, the two-time former chief minister and his family members offered prayers at a temple.
Bhupinder Singh Hooda was accompanied by his wife Asha Hooda, son and former MP from Rohtak Deepender Singh Hooda and daughter-in-law Sweta Mirdha. It should be stated here that Bhupinder Singh Hooda is a sitting legislator from Garhi Sampla-Kiloi constituency.
After casting his vote, Hooda hit out at the Khattar government. “Haryana, which was number one in all the spheres during our time, now leads in unemployment and crime,” Hooda stated.
On Chief Minister Khattar riding a bicycle in Karnal to reach a polling booth to cast his vote, Hooda said, “For five years, he (Khattar) flew in helicopters and now he rides a bicycle to reach the polling booth. For five years, they indulged in wasteful expenditures and did nothing for welfare of people.”
BJP MLA claims EVMs only vote for BJP, Rahul Gandhi shares video
New Delhi: Former Congress president Rahul Gandhi shared Monday on Twitter a viral video in which Bakhshish Singh Virk, the Bharatiya Janata Party MLA from Assandh constituency in Haryana, is seen claiming that no matter which button is pressed on the electronic voting machine (EVM), the vote would go to the saffron party.
Sharing the video, Rahul Gandhi called Bakhshish Singh Virk ‘the most honest man in the BJP’.
https://twitter.com/i/status/1186156211575504896
In the 39-second video, Virk is seen saying in Punjabi: “Wherever you vote, we will get to know which person has voted for whom. Don’t think we won’t know. We deliberately don’t tell you, but if we want we can find out who you voted for.”
The video, which has been making rounds of the social media for the past several days, has been termed ‘fake’ by Virk, who says it is a conspiracy by his rivals to defame him and his party.
The Election Commission had on Sunday issued a showcause notice to Virk for purportedly making controversial remarks about EVMs.
Candidate shot at, beaten up in Maharashtra polls
Nagpur: Three motocycle-borne masked men fired Monday at candidate Devendra Bhuyar of pro-farmer outfit ‘Swabhimani Paksha’ when he was going in a car, and also beat him up after pulling him out of the vehicle in Maharashtra’s Amravati district, police said. The attackers later set the car ablaze, Shendurjana Ghat police station’s inspector Maruti Gedam said. The incident took place on Malkhed road in Amravati, located around 150 km from here.
Devendra Bhuyar, the nominee from Morshi seat, was going to Warud in a car along with some workers of the outfit when the three masked persons fired at him around 5.30am. The attackers later forcefully stopped the vehicle, pulled out its occupants and thrashed them.
Bhuyar, whose outfit is an ally of the Congress and NCP, is contesting the state Assembly polls against BJP minister Anil Bonde from the Morshi seat.
Devendra Fadnavis asks people to people to participate in ‘festival of democracy after casting his vote
Nagpur: Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis cast his vote here Monday and urged people to participate in the ‘festival of democracy’.
Devendra Fadnavis along with his wife and mother went to a polling booth set up at a school in Dharampeth area where all of them voted.
“We elect a government which fulfills our dreams and aspirations. It is natural for us to have expectations from the government. But, those who vote have the first right to have such expectations,” Fadnavis told reporters after casting vote. Fadnavis is seeking a fifth term as MLA from Nagpur South West Assembly constituency.
Sharad Pawar urges people to vote in large numbers
Mumbai: NCP president Sharad Pawar cast his vote here Monday and urged people to come out in large numbers to exercise their democratic right ‘without any pressure’ in the Maharashtra Assembly polls.
Sharad Pawar, his grand-daughter Revati Sule and son-in-law Sadanand Sule voted at a polling booth in the southern part of the city.
Later talking to reporters, Pawar appealed to voters to exercise their franchise. “People should vote without any pressure and fear,” Pawar said.
Among the celebrities, the early voters were actor Aamir Khan and his wife Kiran Rao, tennis player Mahesh Bhupathi and his actress wife Lara Dutta
6.5% voters turn out in first 2 hours of Maharashtra polls
Mumbai: Altogether 6.5 per cent voters have exercised their franchise in the first two hours in Maharashtra, after polling for the 288 Assembly seats began at 7.00am, Monday, officials said. They stated that Mumbai and the suburbs comprising 26 Assembly seats recorded 5.64 per cent polling in the first two hours.
Long queues were observed outside several polling stations, indicating the percentage may go up in subsequent hours, the official said. Voting will end at 6.00pm.
Urban areas like Pune, Nagpur, Nashik and Aurangabad reported a moderate response, while the turnout in rural areas was on the higher side, the official informed. Kolhapur reported 9.93 per cent voting in the first two hours, the highest among all constituencies.
Maharashtra has total 8,98,39,600 voters, including 1,06,76,013 in the age group of 18 to 25 years. Nearly 6.5 lakh polling personnel have been deployed at 96,661 polling booths across the state.
Maharashtra recorded 63.38 per cent turnout in 2014 Assembly elections.
Scuffle between BJP, Congress workers
Nuh (Haryana): A scuffle and stone pelting between supporters of the Congress and the BJP was reported from Nuh town around 8.45 am Monday while voting was in full swing for Haryana Assembly elections, an official said.
The Muslim-dominated Nuh district in Mewat has three Assembly constituencies – Nuh, Ferozpur Jhirka and Punhana and about five lakh voters. This constituency is expected to see a close contest between BJP leader Zakir Hussain and Congress candidate Aftab Ahmed. Both have represented the seat in the Haryana Assembly in the past.
Rain may play spoilsport in Maharashtra polls
Mumbai: It was a wet and cloudy Monday morning in parts of Maharashtra where voting for the Assembly polls began. Some areas in south Konkan Maharashtra, western and south central parts, and Latur and Osmanabad districts in Marathwada region witnessed drizzle early morning, an official from the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said. It certainly put off some of the voters. The sky has been overcast here also since morning. The IMD has predicted thunderstorm with lightning and gusty winds at isolated places in Raigad, Ratnagiri, Sindhudurg, Pune, Kolhapur, Satara, Sangli, Solapur, Beed and Osmanabad districts Monday.
Poor turnout in first two hours of Haryana polls
Chandigarh: Polling began Monday morning in 90 Assembly constituencies of Haryana and during first over two hours poll the percentage in the state was 7.44 per cent. Polling began at 7.00am and will continue till 6.00 pm, officials said.
One thousand one hundred and 69 candidates including 105 women of various political parties are contesting the election. The prominent figures include Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar, former Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, JJP’s Dushyant Chautala and INLD’s Abhay Singh Chautala.
Haryana’s lone woman minister Kavita Jain along with her husband and BJP leader Rajiv Jain and their two children, both first time voters, were among the early voters to cast vote in Sonipat.
Wrestler-turned-politician and BJP candidate from Dadri, Babita Phogat also cast her vote from her native village in Bhiwani along with his father Mahavir Phogat and sister Geeta Phogat.
Haryana CM Khattar takes Shatabdi Express to Karnal to cast vote
Chandigarh: Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar early Monday travelled by Shatabdi Express from Chandigarh to his hometown Karnal in Haryana to cast his vote.
“First vote then refreshment. I am going to cast my vote,” Khattar tweeted.
“I humbly request all citizens of the state that you too must exercise the franchise by visiting your polling station. Your one vote is crucial to form a strong government,” he added.
Khattar is again trying his luck from the Karnal seat that he won in 2014 with a margin of over 60,000 votes from his nearest rival.
The Congress has pitted Trilochan Singh, former Chairperson of the Haryana Minority Commission, against Khattar.
Karnal also has one of the highest incomes per capita in Haryana and is ranked 24 out of over 4,000 cities in the Swachh Survekshan 2019.
All the 90 Assembly seats of Haryana went to the polls amid tight security. The voting will continue till 6 p.m.
Contest only between BJP and Congress: Former Haryana CM Hooda
Chandigarh: Two-time former Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda Monday said the contest in the state was only between the BJP and Congress and the latter would emerge victorious.
“The Jannayak Janata Party and Indian National Lok Dal are not factors, the contest is between Congress and the BJP only and the Congress will get the majority,” Hooda told the media in his hometown.
Hooda, also the Leader of Opposition, is recontesting from his bastion Garhi Sampla-Kiloi in Rohtak district.
Hooda, a de-facto chief ministerial candidate, feels his party has an edge over the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party owing to huge unemployment in the state, that as per estimates has reached 28.7 per cent against the national average of 8.4 per cent.
Over 1.83 crore voters in THE BJP-ruled Haryana will cast their votes in a single-phase polling that began Monday morning to elect the 90-member Legislative Assembly.
Voting will end at 6 p.m.
BJP candidate Kavita Jain, Congress’ Chander Mohan among early voters in Haryana
Chandigarh: Congress candidate and former Deputy Chief Minister Chander Mohan and outgoing minister and BJP candidate Kavita Jain were among the first contesting candidates in Haryana to cast vote in their respective polling booths Monday.
Mohan along with his wife, son and daughter-in-law reached the polling booth in Panchkula before the start of polling at 7 a.m. He is in fray from Panchkula.
So were Kavita Jain and her husband Rajiv Jain, who was the media adviser to Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar, reached the polling booth much ahead of the start of polling in Sonipat town. She is in fray from Sonipat.
After casting the vote, she appealed to the people to come out of their houses and exercise their franchise.
After casting the vote, Mohan told the media that the Congress government did development in the state and will do in the future too.
Mohan, son of three-time Chief Minister late Bhajan Lal, ditched politics for love in 2008. He embraced Islam and changed his name to Chand Mohammad and married a woman, who was a former Deputy Advocate General in Punjab.
His younger brother and sitting legislator Kuldeep Bishnoi, whose hotel in a prime business space of Gurugram worth Rs 150 crore has been attached by the Income Tax Department, has been re-nominated from Adampur seat in Hisar.
RSS chief Bhagwat casts vote, urges voters to turn up
Nagpur: RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat was among the early ones to cast his vote Monday in Nagpur for the Maharashtra Assembly polls.
Bhagwat went to a polling booth in Mahal area of the city around 7 am and exercised his franchise.
Later, to a query by reporters on the Congress targeting the RSS over the demand of Bharat Ratna award for Hindutva ideologue V D Savarkar, Bhagwat dubbed it as “politics”.
“We have been targeted since last 90 years. So, there is no need to worry as the society is one and will always be one. It is politics, all this is part of it. But the society is one and will always will one,” he said.
Bhagwat also urged people to come out to vote, saying it is the responsibility of citizens to elect their public representatives.
“We emphasise on 100 per cent voting. Vote on issues, and not looking at the person or the environment,” he urged.
Asked what will be the outcome of the ongoing state polls, Bhagwat said, “I cannot presume as I am not a political person. The results will be out in three days and everyone will get to know.”
Polling began Monday morning in all 288 Assembly constituencies of the state.
The voting commenced at 7 am and will end at 6 pm.
PTI
PM Modi calls for record voter turnout in Maha, Haryana polls
New Delhi: As polling is underway in Maharashtra and Haryana Monday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged people to come out in large numbers to cast vote and enrich the “festival of democracy”.
Besides the two states, assembly bypolls are underway in 51 seats and Lok Sabha by-elections in two constituencies across India.
“Elections are taking place for Haryana and Maharashtra assemblies. There are also by-polls taking place in various parts of India. I urge voters in these states and seats to turnout in record numbers and enrich the festival of democracy. I hope youngsters vote in large numbers,” the prime minister wrote on Twitter.
It is usual for him to use the social media to urge voters to cast their vote on election days.
Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar has also appealed to voters to turnout in record numbers. “I appeal that all of you must participate in the festival of democracy and exercise your right to franchise in great numbers,” he said.
Congress leader and former chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda too appealed to voters to come out in large numbers to ensure a record turnout.
Ex-CM Chavan, Shelar, Pawar among early voters in Maharashtra
Mumbai: Former chief minister Ashok Chavan and the current BJP-led Maharashtra government’s school education minister Ashish Shelar were among the early ones to cast their votes for the state Assembly polls on Monday.
Politicians as well as members of the public came out to exercise their democratic right in the morning despite rain in some parts of the state.
Chavan and his family members cast their votes at the Ambedkar Nagar Municipal school in Nanded district.
In Mumbai, where it has been drizzling since last two days, Shelar exercised his franchise at St Stanisluas High school in suburban Bandra.
NCP Leader and former deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar voted at Baramati in Pune district.
Chavan is the Congress’ candidate from Bhokar in Nanded for the ongoing state polls, while Pawar is the NCP’s nominee from Baramati.
Shelar is the BJP’s candidate from Bandra-West seat.
Maharashtra Assembly Speaker Haribhau Bagde cast his vote in Aurangabad district.
State Housing Minister Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil and his family members cast his votes at Shirdi in Ahmednagar.
Former cricketer Sandeep Patil, who was also among the early voters at Shivaji Park in Mumbai, said more than the party, the merit of an individual candidate was important.
“We should vote for candidates who work for their constituencies,” he said.
Polling began on Monday morning in all 288 Assembly constituencies of Maharashtra where 3,237 candidates, including 235 women, are in the fray.
The voting commenced at 7 am and will end at 6 pm.
Polling begins in 90 assembly constituencies in Haryana
Chandigarh: Polling began Monday morning in 90 assembly constituencies in Haryana.
Polling began at 7 a.m. and will continue till 6 p.m., officials said.
As many as 1,169 candidates including 105 women of various political outfits are contesting the election.
The prominent figures include Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar, former chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, JJP’s Dushyant Chautala and INLD’s Abhay Singh Chautala.
Haryana’s lone woman minister Kavita Jain was among the early voters who cast her vote in Sonipat.
The BJP led by Khattar has set a target of winning 75 seats, while the Congress is hoping to make a comeback following a change in guard in the state.
Currently, the BJP has 48 members in the state assembly.
As many as 19,578 polling stations have been set, including 13,837 in rural areas, Chief Electoral Officer, Haryana, Anurag Agarwal said.
Tight security arrangements have been made and over 75,000 security personnel have been mobilised for the polls, DGP Manoj Yadava said earlier.
Over 1.83 crore voters are eligible to vote that includes 85 lakh women, over one lakh service voters and 252 transgenders.
Polling begins in all 288 Assembly constituencies in Maharashtra
Mumbai: Polling began Monday morning in all 288 Assembly constituencies of Maharashtra where 3,237 candidates, including 235 women, are in the fray.
The voting commenced at 7 am and will end at 6 pm.
Prominent candidates include Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis from Nagpur South-West, and his predecessors from the Congress — Ashok Chavan, who is contesting from Bhokar in Nanded district, and Prithviraj Chavan, who is seeking a re-election from Karad South in Satara district.
The BJP, under Fadnavis’ leadership, is seeking a second straight term in the state.
Aaditya Thackeray, the son of Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray, has also entered the poll fray from Worli constituency in Mumbai.
The 29-year-old Yuva Sena chief is the first member from his family to make a debut in electoral politics.
Voting is also underway for the byelection to Satara Lok Sabha constituency, where former NCP leader and sitting MP Udayanraje Bhosale is in the fray on BJP’s ticket against Shriniwas Patil of the Congress-NCP combine.
The BJP has fielded its nominees in 164 Assembly seats, including candidates of smaller allies contesting on its lotus symbol, while the Sena is contesting 124 seats.
On the other hand, the opposition Congress has fielded 147 candidates and its ally NCP 121.
The main contest is between the ‘Mahayuti’ or grand alliance led by the BJP, and the ‘maha-aghadi’ (front) led by the Congress and NCP.
Among other parties, the Raj Thackeray-led Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) has fielded 101 candidates.
As many as 1,400 Independents are also in the fray.
The election campaign, which ended on Saturday evening, was dominated by the BJP’s aggressive narrative of the abrogation of Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir.
The state has total 8,98,39,600 voters, including 1,06,76,013 in the age group of 18 to 25 years.
Nearly 6.5 lakh polling personnel have been deployed at 96,661 polling booths across the state.
Around 1,35,021 VVPAT (voter verifiable paper audit trail) machines have also been installed.
Of the 288 constituencies, Nanded-South seat has the maximum 38 candidates, while Chiplun in Ratnagiri district has just three nominees.
In the 2014 elections, the BJP won 122 seats, the Shiv Sena-63, the Congress-42 and the NCP-41.
Later, two by-elections were held due to death of MLAs Krushna Ghoda (Palghar) and Bala Sawant (Bandra-East).
The Sena manged to retain both the seats.
In the run-up to the polls, several legislators of the Congress and NCP switched sides to the ruling BJP and Sena.
Some of them also managed to get tickets for the ongoing polls.
PTI